FROM WIKIPEDIA COMMONS

A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy and distribute a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, educational, or musical form. Copyright is intended to protect the original expression of an idea in the form of a creative work, but not the idea itself. A copyright is subject to limitations based on public interest considerations, such as the fair use doctrine in the United States.

Some jurisdictions require “fixing” copyrighted works in a tangible form. It is often shared among multiple authors, each of whom holds a set of rights to use or license the work, and who are commonly referred to as rights holders. These rights frequently include reproduction, control over derivative works, distribution, public performance, and moral rights such as attribution.

Copyrights can be granted by public law and are in that case considered “territorial rights”. This means that copyrights granted by the law of a certain state, do not extend beyond the territory of that specific jurisdiction. Copyrights of this type vary by country; many countries, and sometimes a large group of countries, have made agreements with other countries on procedures applicable when works “cross” national borders or national rights are inconsistent.

Typically, the public law duration of a copyright expires 50 to 100 years after the creator dies, depending on the jurisdiction. Some countries require certain copyright formalities to establishing copyright, others recognize copyright in any completed work, without a formal registration. When the copyright of a work expires, it enters the public domain.

TODAY’S ALMANAC

Question of the Day

What is toilet water? I heard it was used in the old days as perfume. How could I make it?We have a book called The Toilet of Flowers, first published in 1779 in London. In the chapter titled “Waters,” we found this recipe for toilet water: “Take Honey-water, an ounce; Eau sans Pareille, two ounces; Jasmine-water, not quite five drachms; Clove-water, and Violet-water, of each an ounce; Cyprus-water, sweet Calamus-water, and Lavender-water, of each two drachms; Spirit of Neroli or Oranges, ten drops; mix all these Waters together, and keep the mixture in a vial close-corked. This water has a delightful scent; but its use is only for the toilet.”

Advice of the Day

Married in February’s sleety weather, Life you’ll tread in tune together.

Home Hint of the Day

A cat will usually keep herself clean. Give your pet a bath only if she has grease or grime on her coat that she cannot clean off by herself.

Word of the Day

BarometerAn instrument used to measure air pressure; there are two basic types, aneroid and mercury.

Puzzle of the Day

Who was the strongest man mentioned in the Bible?Jonah, because the whale could not keep him down.

Born

• Felix Mendelssohn (composer) – 1809
• Horace Greeley (journalist) – 1811
• Elizabeth Blackwell (first woman to earn an MD degree in the U.S.) – 1821
• Sidney Lanier (poet) – 1842
• Gertrude Stein (author) – 1874
• Norman Rockwell (artist) – 1894
• James Michener (novelist) – 1907
• Joey Bishop (comedian) – 1918
• Shelley Berman (actor) – 1926
• Blythe Danner (actress) – 1943
• Morgan Fairchild (actress) – 1950
• Nathan Lane (actor) – 1956
• Maura Tierney (actress) – 1965
• Warwick Davis (actor) – 1970
• Isla Fisher (actress) – 1976
• Ryne Sanborn (actor) – 1989

Died

• Woodrow Wilson (28th U.S. president) – 1924
• Nancy Kulp (actress) – 1991
• Audrey Meadows (actress) – 1996
• James Blackwood (member of the giant gospel group, The Blackwood Brothers Quartet) – 2002
• Al Lewis (actor, most well-known as Grandpa Munster on The Munsters) – 2006
• Frances Reid (actress) – 2010

Events

• U.S. copyright law began protecting music– 1831
• Calcutta Railway opened– 1855
• Teddy Roosevelt visited his sweetheart, Alice Lee, Chestnut Hill, MA– 1880
• Fire destroyed Parliament Buildings, Ottawa, Ontario– 1916
• The Four Chaplains, having given their life jackets to others, drowned when the torpedoed SS Dorchester sank during WWII– 1943
• XI Winter Olympics open in Sapporo, Japan– 1972
• President Clinton lifted the Trade Embargo on Vietnam– 1994
• Air Force Lt. Col. Eileen Collins became the first woman in the United States to pilot a space shuttle (Discovery)– 1995
• The New England Patriots beat the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI– 2002
• A healthy Laysan albatross chick hatched at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the Pacific Ocean. Its mother was a 62-year-old Laysan albatross named Wisdom—the oldest known living wild bird at the time.– 2013
• Sumatran tiger triplets born at the London Zoo. Melati was the proud 5-year-old tiger mom.– 2014

Weather

• A storm in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, brought 20 inches of snow– 1803
• A rare February EF1 tornado hit Gray, Roberts, and Hemphill counties in Texas– 2012

COURTESY www.almanac.com